Nathan Eovaldi made sense for Red Sox

By Jason Mastrodonato | [email protected] | Boston Herald December 8, 2018 at 1:29 pm The Red Sox made a large investment in a pitcher with two Tommy John surgeries, 44 career wins and a 4.15 ERA. Signing the 29-year-old right-hander Nathan Eovaldi to a four-year deal worth $68 million this week, the Sox placed a big bet on Eovaldi’s breakout performance in 2018. But they had other reasons to make sure Eovaldi stayed in Boston: 1. They’ll really need him in 2020. It’s not that 2019 isn’t just as important. Actually, it’s more important, given it’s the best chance the Red Sox have at another title before the core starts to rapidly dissemble. But even without Eovaldi, the Sox would have a stellar rotation in 2019. In 2020, though, Chris Sale and Rick Porcello are eligible for free agency. And while spending $68 million on Eovaldi signals that that the Sox are uncertain if they’ll be willing or able to extend Sale, Eovaldi provides insurance. A 2020 rotation that starts with David Price, Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez may not be overwhelming, but it’s certainly formidable. And the Sox don’t want to be left with just Price and Rodriguez as they look at a 2020 free agent class that includes just a handful of quality starters: Madison Bumgarner (30), Gerrit Cole (29), Cole Hamels (36), Rich Hill (40), Miles Mikolas (31), Jake Odorizzi (30), Hyun-Jin Ryu (33) Justin Verlander (37) and Michael Wacha(28), Zack Wheeler (30) and Alex Wood (29). 2…. [Read full story]